1965 AP6 Chrysler Wayfarer Utility – Reader Resto

Craig Jones' stunning AP6 ute carries on a lifetime family tradition of Chrysler ownership.

ORIGINAL CAR – 1965 AP6 Chrysler Wayfarer Utility

OWNER – Craig Jones

LENGTH OF RESTORATION – 3 years

I grew up with Valiants – we had a station wagon as our family car.

When it came time for me to drive I inherited that, I didn’t have enough money for my own car. We also had a spare donor sedan, an AP5.

That sedan was my first restoration. I got addicted at that point. Around the neighborhood we had other friends who had an old AP5 station wagon which had reached its use-by date and so they parked it at our place, thinking we could use the spares.

At that stage we had at least three Chryslers and along the way I obtained a couple more for bits and ended up with five.

None of them were utes – they were so rare. I thought they looked good and I wouldn’t mind getting one. 

That began a long search that resulted in two additional purchases: An original AP6 that was a complete rust bucket with no serviceable body panels, plus an AP6 copy – actually a VC with AP6 front panels.

Then, finally, I found this one back in 1994.

It was in Gippsland and looked pretty sound with original paint (and dints), a reconditioned 225 slant six with about 9000 miles on it, three-speed manual, nine months of rego, no radio and an ashtray that had never been used! That cost $2000. 

Utes were tough to find as they led hard lives. I was the third owner of this one, I think, and this (after I sold off some of the others) ended up as my daily driver and weekend workhorse.

It was also the unofficial band vehicle, as it had plenty of room for drums, amplifiers and the like.

Six years down the track, I bought another daily driver (a Rodeo ute) and stored the Valiant, still registered and insured, until I found the time to do the restoration.

Finally, in June 2005, the opportunity arose. “Should be finished by Christmas,” was my optimistic thought. It, in fact, took three years.

The palatial space for this work was an el-cheapo 6 x 3m temporary carport, which is where it stayed for the entire dismantle, clean, cut, weld, fix, paint and assemble effort.

A fitter and turner by trade, I did all the work, apart from the chrome plating and installing the windscreens.

When I got in to the disassembly, the rust was far worse than I expected. The ute body seems to act like a giant funnel for water, so there were lots of surprises.

One of the intriguing sections was a result of Chrysler using a sedan floorpan, so you could see where the passenger footwell had been plated over. 

Once you peel back the layers, like an onion, you reach the point of no return.

Your choices are to walk away and leave a pile of rubbish, or keep going. I had the time and a bit of cash and decided I just had to do it.

There were some frustrating moments, such as when the old boat leaning against the fence fell on to a nice new straight rear quarter panel!

Or the time I went to start the engine after a long lay-off and it felt like the battery was fading. It turned out to be caused by air in the oil pump lines, which needed bleeding.

One new skill I picked up was upholstery. My intention was to just make a seat cover that looked a little like the original.

Then I thought, well, if I was going that far, I might as well do it properly. So I unstitched the original, used it as a pattern – how hard could it be?

With a bit of experimentation and a $30 op-shop sewing machine, I managed to pull it off. The tonneau cover was a bit more of a challenge as it’s made of a much heavier marine vinyl. 

I like the welding side of things and the mechanical tasks are okay, but I absolutely hate painting. I loathe it. There are panels on that car I painted five times for varying reasons.

It’s a learning process – if I did that car today, I’d have a much better idea of what to do. And of course I was outside, which made the process a lot more difficult.

It was done on a tight budget. I think all up it cost $6000, which includes buying the compressor, welding gear and other tools. It was pretty good mechanically, so a lot of stuff was taken off, painted and reinstalled.

Most of it is original, including the electrics and even things like the starter motor – so far as I know. It’s all stock, which kept the cost down.

Though it has been lowered a little bit – about an inch and a half – just to give it a little bit of a stance. 

Someone had put a heater in it and had cut holes in the dash.

I welded them up and reinstalled the heater underneath, out of sight. I was also pleased to track down an original
radio for it. 

The final touch is the number plates which are earlier than the ute. They were on my family’s original AP5 station wagon that transported a family of seven around – with me as the youngest.

My father bought it in 1965 and I came along in 1966, so the plates have been in the family longer than I have!

VITAL STATS

1965-1966
CHRYSLER VALIANT WAYFARER AP6

NUMBER BUILT: 43,344 (all AP6)

BODY: Integrated body/chassis two-door utility

ENGINE: 3686cc inline six-cylinder with overhead valves and single downdraft carburettor

POWER & TORQUE: 108kW @ 4000rpm, 292Nm @ 2400rpm

PERFORMANCE: 0-96km/h: 13.1 seconds, 0-400 metres 20.0 seconds (3-speed manual)

TRANSMISSION: 3-speed manual, 3-speed automatic

SUSPENSION: Independent with torsion bars, control arms and telescopic shock absorbers (f) live axle with semi-elliptic springs and telescopic shock absorbers (r)

BRAKES: Drum (f) drum (r) some with power assistance

TYRES: 6.95 x 14 cross-ply

From Unique Cars #483, Sept 2023